Liu Xiu planned to conquer Zhang Bu personally, but the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, so Liu Xiu decided to wait until the Mid-Autumn Festival before leading his army to attack Qingzhou.
That morning, after all the government affairs had been discussed, Liu Xiu specifically mentioned how he would celebrate this year's Mid-Autumn Festival.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival in previous years, Liu Xiu held a banquet in the palace, summoned all the ministers and their families, and had fun together in the palace. This was repeated for several years, and Liu Xiu got tired of it.
The word Mid-Autumn Festival first appeared in the Book of Rites. As for when it appeared specifically, there is no way to verify it. In short, it was before the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
‘The emperor springs and the sun rises, and autumn sets the moon.’ The meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival is to worship the moon, and later it gradually evolved into a grand festival. The ancients also took the opportunity of the Mid-Autumn Festival to go on blind dates, seek children, pray for blessings, etc.
When it came to the Mid-Autumn Festival, all the ministers were very relaxed. The great Situ Fuzhan raised the wat board and said: "Your Majesty, I think this year's Mid-Autumn Festival can also follow the example of previous years!"
The implication is that Your Majesty should just hold a banquet in the palace and hold a celebration in the palace.
Jia Fu disagreed with Fu Zhan's point of view and said loudly: "It would be too boring to hold a banquet and celebrate in the palace every year."
After a pause, he cupped his hands to Liu Xiu and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you go to Nanshi to enjoy the lanterns this year and enjoy it with all the people?"
After hearing what Jia Fu said, Liu Xiu's eyes suddenly lit up. It was a good idea to go to Nanshi to enjoy the lanterns and have fun with the people. Liu Xiu became interested and leaned forward, but before he could
As he spoke, Fu Zhan frowned, glanced at Jia Fu, and said seriously: "General Zuo, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, most people in Luoyang will go out, and there will be many people on the street. In case there are assassins among them, they want to take the opportunity to attack Your Majesty.
If it’s not good, so what?”
If Your Majesty really has a problem, who can bear this responsibility?
Although Jia Fu was unhappy, after thinking about it carefully, he felt that Fu Zhan's words were not unreasonable.
Nanshi is the most prosperous commercial district in Luoyang. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, every merchant will display elaborately prepared lanterns to make their name known. The lanterns will attract a lot of people.
Chaos is indeed difficult to control.
Appreciating colored lanterns on major festivals is a tradition left over from the time of Emperor Wu.
There was no paper at that time, so thin linen was usually used to wrap the lanterns. The linen was dyed with different dyes, which would reflect different colors of light. Of course, these were lanterns made by ordinary people, which were very crude and crude.
The lanterns of wealthy families are made of yarn, making the lanterns brighter and more exquisite.
At that time, the lantern industry was very developed, with round, square, and polygonal shapes available in all shapes. If the family had strong financial resources, they could also customize various shapes of auspicious animals, flowers, trees, etc.
There were also many types of lanterns at that time, such as dragon lanterns, palace lanterns, gauze lanterns, flower blue lanterns, dragon and phoenix lanterns, angular lanterns, tree and floor lanterns, fireworks lanterns, mushroom lanterns, etc., there are countless.
Jia Fu suggested going to Nanshi to enjoy the lanterns. Fu Zhan stood up and objected, but Jia Fu said nothing more.
Seeing the disappointed look on Liu Xiu's face, Zhu Fu rolled his eyes, stepped out of the queue, raised his hands and said: "If your Majesty really wants to go to the palace to enjoy the lanterns, I think it's not impossible. Your Majesty can take a boat and go out at night."
Appreciating lanterns in Luoshui."
The sneak attack in Hanzhong has ended. Zhu Fu, who was temporarily sent to Chang'an, has now returned to Luoyang, and Feng Yi, who was transferred, has returned to Chang'an and continues to be the commander-in-chief of the Western Expeditionary Army.
Liu Xiu was originally full of disappointment, but after hearing Zhu Fu's words, his eyes lit up again, and he turned to look at Fu Zhan to see if he would object this time.
Fu Zhan did not answer immediately, frowning and wondering in his mind whether Zhu Fu's opinion was feasible. After thinking for a long time, he still shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, I think it is safest for Your Majesty to be in the palace on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Zhu Fu immediately answered: "The capital is not at peace now, assassins are rampant."
Hearing this, Fu Zhan raised his eyebrows and said, "Because of this, Your Majesty should stay in the palace."
Zhu Fu smiled and said: "What Gongsun said is wrong. It is precisely because assassins are rampant that your majesty has to leave the palace to have fun with the people. In this way, he can show the people that the assassins Gongsun Shu planted in Luoyang are just a group of young people."
It gives confidence to the people of the world, and also demonstrates the court's determination to manage the security of the capital." After speaking, he turned to look at Dong Xuan, who was standing at the end of the hall, and asked: "Mr. Dong, what do you think?
?”
The assassins planted by Gongsun Shu in Luoyang were rampant. Whose responsibility was it? Of course, it was Dong Xuan, the commander of Luoyang.
His Majesty's appointment as Zhijinwu has been reduced by His Majesty to the point where it is almost turning into a useless position. He is no longer able to manage the public security of the capital that should be his responsibility, and he does not have the ability to manage it.
The responsibility for managing public security in Luoyang now falls entirely on the Luoyang County Government. If there is to be accountability, it is natural that the county government should be held accountable. He cannot be held accountable.
Hearing that his name was called, Dong Xuan could no longer pretend to be deaf and mute. He stepped out of the queue, raised his hands to Liu Xiu and said, "Your Majesty, we are already investigating the murder of Du Qing."
Zhu Fu asked angrily: "What's the result?"
Dong Xuan lowered his head and whispered: "Report to Zhi Jinwu, my official... We haven't been able to find any clues yet."
Du Qing was killed. Strictly speaking, this was not a major case, it was just a human life.
The key issue is that Du Qing died at the hands of the assassin as soon as he left the palace. The assassin still refused to let go and chased Luo You all the way to the gate of the palace. The rampage was outrageous.
Zhu Fu glanced at Dong Xuan, snorted coldly, and said: "If the Luoyang County Government can make Luoyang peaceful, why can't your Majesty go to Nanshi at night and enjoy the happiness of all the people on the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Why do you offer advice to Your Majesty and allow Your Majesty to board a boat and swim in the Luoshui River?"
After all, Zhu Fu's focus was actually on impeaching the Luoyang County Government for its incompetence. To put it more bluntly, he wanted to get back the rights that belonged to Zhi Jinwu.
Liu Xiu looked at Zhu Fu, then at Dong Xuan, and said quietly: "It's time to improve the public security in Luoyang, and County Magistrate Dong should also shoulder your responsibilities!"
Dong Xuan knelt down, kowtowed forward, and said: "I will remember your Majesty's teachings."
Zhu Fu saw that Liu Xiu only blamed Dong Xuan, but had no intention of reducing his power. He felt a little anxious and said: "Your Majesty, with the current chaos in Luoyang, even if your Majesty takes a boat trip to Luoshui, it will be in danger!"
Liu Xiu had a clear idea of what he was thinking. Liu Xiu was also dissatisfied with the performance of Luoyang County Government, but it was impossible for him to return power to Zhi Jinwu.
Liu Xiu's reduction of power to Zhi Jinwu was not because he did not trust Zhu Fu, nor was it directed at a particular minister, but simply because of Zhi Jinwu's position.
Before his power was reduced, Zhi Jinwu was in charge of both the security of the capital and the Northern Army.
In Liu Xiu's view, the real power in Zhijinwu's hands was too great. The key was that he had an army in his hands, and it was also the most important garrison of the capital. Once Zhijinwu's heart changed, he could directly threaten the palace and the emperor in the palace.
Liu Xiu was very confident in his abilities and was not afraid of changes in Zhijinwu, but he still had to think about his descendants and pave the way for his future emperors. Therefore, it was impossible for him to restore Zhijinwu's power to its original state.
"Okay!" Liu Xiu waved his hand to Zhu Fu and said: "On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, according to Jinwu's advice, I took a boat to Luoshui at night." After clinching the matter, Liu Xiu announced his withdrawal from the court.
The ministers came out of the hall, in small groups, whispering to each other. The loneliest one was undoubtedly Dong Xuan. He had no friends in the court, and now that the county government is not doing well, there are even fewer ministers who want to pay attention to him.
Dong Xuanzheng was walking forward with deep thoughts. Deng Yu stood on the roadside. When he came to him, Deng Yu said with a smile: "County Magistrate Dong!"
After hearing this, Dong Xuan turned around and saw that the person calling him was Deng Yu. He hurriedly raised his hands and saluted, and said respectfully: "I have seen General You!"
Among the people in the court, Dong Xuan was the only person he admired, and Deng Yu was the minister he admired from the bottom of his heart.
In terms of knowledge, Deng Yu was a classmate of the Emperor and a student of Taixue. When he was in the Imperial College, Deng Yu's grades were much better than those of the Emperor, and he was a nationally famous child prodigy.
When it comes to leading troops to fight, Deng Yu was the first to form the Western Expeditionary Army, which fought from Hanoi to Chang'an. Although it was later unfavorable to the Red Eyebrow War, it did not negate Deng Yu's previous achievements. It can be said that he was the most brave and good at fighting under the imperial court.
The Western Expeditionary Army had a good foundation laid by Deng Yu.
In the Luoyang court, there were many all-rounders with both civil and military skills, but the only great talents with both civil and military skills were Deng Yu and Deng Zhonghua.
Deng Yu held up his hands, returned the courtesy to Dong Xuan, and then said: "Your Majesty has decided to go to Luoshui at night on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. This is the first time that His Majesty has left the palace to rejoice with the people on the Mid-Autumn Festival. Not only the people of Luoyang are watching
, everyone in the world is also watching, this night, there must be no mistakes."
Dong Xuan was already in a heavy mood, but now after listening to Deng Yu's words, he felt that he was under greater pressure. He bowed and said: "General on the right, I will do my best..."
Deng Yu said seriously: "I don't want Magistrate Dong to do his best, but to ensure that nothing goes wrong." Trying your best is the attitude, and being foolproof is the result. Deng Yu doesn't want Dong Xuan's attitude, he only wants a satisfactory result.
Dong Xuan secretly grinned, bowed to Deng Yu, and said: "I'm a lower official... I'm a lower official..." Dong Xuan really didn't dare to make a foolproof guarantee.
The hidden stakes and assassins planted by Gongsun Shu in Luoyang are not like the army. They are gathered there. You can see and touch them. The hidden stakes and assassins cannot be seen or touched.
They are hiding in the huge city of Luoyang, mixed among hundreds of thousands of people, and trying to uproot these hidden stubs and assassins of Gongsun Shu is like finding a needle in a haystack, and it is as difficult as reaching the sky.
It's not that Dong Xuan didn't try his best, there were some things that even though he tried his best, he still couldn't do it.
Seeing that Dong Xuan's face turned red from holding back and he was hesitating and unable to speak a complete sentence, Deng Yu sighed helplessly and said seriously: "If Dong County is short of manpower, you can come to General You's Mansion and let me know."
, I will try my best to help you."
Upon hearing this, Dong Xuan hurriedly bowed and saluted and said: "Thank you, General Right!" Deng Yu had military power in his hands. He might not be able to mobilize too many capital troops, but it would still be useless to mobilize thousands of people to solve the urgent need.
questionable.
Deng Yu patted Dong Xuan on the shoulder and said: "Remember, no matter how much material, human, or financial resources are consumed, in short, everything must be perfect on the Mid-Autumn Festival night!"
"I will remember it!"
Liu Xiu was walking back to Qingliang Hall with his hands behind his back and walking very fast. After walking for a while, he suddenly stopped. Zhang Kun and Luo You who were following him almost didn't react and bumped into him.
The two hurriedly took a step back and distanced themselves.
He turned around, looked at Zhang Kun, then at Luo You, and asked, "Where in Luoyang should Si'a's people be hiding?" As he spoke, he looked at Luo You with a frown.
Luo You shook his head and whispered: "My servant doesn't know." She really didn't know. Although she was also born in Si'a, since she arrived in Luoyang, she had no contact with anyone from Si'a and had always stayed on the boat.
She knew almost nothing about Gongsun Shu and Mo Yan's layout in Luoyang.
Liu Xiu pondered for a moment and asked: "If you have an emergency and want to contact the people in Si'a, what method will you use? Just draw a contact code?"
Luo You said: "That is an emergency measure."
"So, what about non-emergency solutions?"
"They... haven't taught me yet." Luo You lowered his head and said with a red face.
Li Zichun bought Luo You and others too quickly. Gongsun Shu and Mo Yan's people only taught her some basic knowledge, such as emergency contact codes. Before they had time to teach her in depth, Luo You was already involved.
